Lemonade
by RaeEcho
Summary: Because there is no way that Bruce let Dick off the hook for using a covert ops team for his own personal vendetta. Tag to Performance 1x24


A/N- Hey! I'm back with another episode tag. This one is for 'Performance.' My reasoning for doing this is Robin practically stole the team. If I ever even tried pulling anything close to that when I was thirteen, my mother would have torn into me like a rottweiler would a t-bone. I'm guessing Batman would do the same. He's the Batman after all. (and the ninjas can't touch him.)

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Dick wasn't sure what was worse, the sound of his toothbrush scratching against the stone floor of the cave or the cramps that ran down his everywhere. His elbows felt like they were about to fall off, and he was pretty sure that his knees had permanently fallen asleep due to the constant pressure and the cold water that seeped through his jeans. He was absolutely terrified of having to stand up. He would much rather just collapse on the spot and sleep forever.

Sweat rolled down his forehead. The salty droplets stung his eyes, and he wiped at his baby blues with the back of his wrist. His hands were covered in soap and he didn't really want to have to rush blindly to a bathroom to clean his eyes out. One reason would be because the Batcave was full of dangerous weapons, and knowing him, he would trip on one of them and end up turning himself into a toddler or at least send him back in time. Neither of those were good options.

Turning his attention back to his work, he attacked an oil stain left by the Batmobile with renewed effort. His arms screamed in protest, but he ignored it, just like the growing irritation in the back of his throat. He would kill for some of Alfred's lemonade.

He wanted to take a break, but he knew that stopping his cleaning of the Cave would only end in disaster.

He was being punished, after all.

"You missed a spot." A voice said from behind him. Dick just rolled his eyes. Of course Bruce couldn't resist coming down and rubbing his mistake in his face. So, he ignored him and scrubbed harder at the oil.

"I know you're mad, but that's no reason to ignore me." Bruce said, and Dick could hear his footsteps echo around the Cave as the billionaire walked over to him. Dick wanted to retort, he really did, but he knew that he deserved whatever his surrogate father dished out.

He hijacked a covert ops team for his own personal vendetta. There were far worse punishments than giving the Batcave a proper scrub down. He knew that much. If anything, he was getting off easy.

"I'm not mad." He said, and he dropped his toothbrush back in his bucket containing his soapy water. The boy wonder then shifted his position to sitting on his haunches. "I know I screwed up big time."

Bruce crouched next to him, and gripped his shoulder with one hand, the other was hidden behind the older man's back. "Dick, what you did was reckless, irresponsible, and could have gotten you along with the others killed. You lied to your team, your friends. You directly disobeyed me when I told you to stay put, and you didn't trust me when I said that I would handle it. Parasite is a high level criminal and the League even has trouble bringing him down. You were way too close to the mission, and your emotional state could have caused the mission to have a less than desirable outcome. Do you understand?"

Dick didn't look at Bruce. He kept his eyes planted firmly on the floor and he nodded at Bruce's question. "I'm sorry." He mumbled. His hair hung in front of his eyes, and his shoulders slumped. He felt absolutely awful. Bruce was disappointed in him. Heck, he was disappointed in himself. He had to protect his home, his former family, but was it really worth feeling like he disappointed his new family?

"And Dick." Bruce started, and Dick winced in anticipation. The hammer was about to fall. Bruce had already given him the scolding of a lifetime for his actions, this was the part where Bruce really drove it home. Punishment always came in three's with him. Step one, being told off. Step two, the physical punishment. Step three, the 'I know you can do better' speech.

"Yeah?"

"I'm proud of you." Dick blinked in surprise, and his head snapped up to meet his mentor's eyes. They were sparkling with pride.

"Your what?" He asked bewildered. Bruce wasn't supposed to be proud of him for breaking the rules. Where was the third degree?

"Richard, you stopped a criminal organization from gaining the power to create black holes, and simultaneously cleared Haly's Circus of all suspicion. You defeated Parasite, and led your team almost perfectly. I couldn't have done it any better myself." Bruce smiled, and Dick found himself smiling in response. He felt like he was glowing under Bruce's praise. More than ever, he was happy to have such a weird guardian.

"We were pretty awesome, weren't we?"

"Don't get cocky, Boy Wonder." Bruce said with a raised eyebrow, "You're still grounded until you grow to a very old age, and I still expect the Cave to sparkle like new."

"Wasn't it covered in bat poop when it was brand new?" Dick asked with laughter threatening to burst out of him at any given moment.

"I don't know. Maybe Alfred and I can discuss it over a glass of lemonade?" The Dark Knight smirked, and he looked at him out of he corner of his eye knowingly. Dick throat itched in irritation, and he pulled out the best pout he could manage. Bruce knew how much Dick loved the lemon flavored drink, and he was using it against him. He was evil.

Bruce just chuckled at and removed his hand from behind his back. In it was a thermos, and Dick would bet his allowance that he could guess in one try what was in it. The green thermos was thrust in his hands, and he wasted no time in unscrewing the lid. The sugar drink felt great going down his throat, and he couldn't stop the smile on his face from growing bigger as he screwed the lid back on.

"Thanks." He said and he placed the thermos down. It was time to get back to work. He still had half a cave to clean.

"Anytime. Oh, and Dick."

"Yeah?"

"You really did miss a spot."

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A/N- There's my tiny one-shot. Please review. It feeds the idea gnome.


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